However, some horrifying leg injuries don’t get the same attention, such as this one sustained by the great-granddaughter of legendary Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and captured on video during a recent PETA investigation:

This young horse wasn’t lauded or celebrated. There was no emergency surgery or outpouring of sympathy. She was just euthanized.

Fatal injuries like this one happen about three times every single day at racetracks across the country, including Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the upcoming Kentucky Derby. That’s because horses are forced to run at too young an age on bones that haven’t fully developed. They are given drugs to mask pain so that they will run with existing injuries. And they are beaten into running at top speeds on hard, punishing track surfaces.

Unlike Louisville’s indomitable Ware and other athletes who sustain injuries, horses used for racing don’t choose to compete. And unlike human athletes who receive top-notch medical care and are often up and walking in a matter of days or weeks, horses who suffer catastrophic injuries are often killed right where they fall.

So tune in to the Final Four this weekend and cheer on Louisville (or Michigan, Syracuse, or Wichita State), but please never bet on, watch, or attend a horse race.

Commenting is closed.

I am just disgusted at how we as one species are treating other species which share this planet – when will we ever learn!!!! Horse racing is horrific – to think all this happens out of greed and to entertain!!!! It must stop – we must all voice our opinion in the media and to all who we meet – inform them as to the truth of,this industry!!!! It is a sad day. BUT we cannot just have apathy – we must do all that is constructive to change the ‘mindset’ of all in our community!!!!!

i did a school project on thsi subject. i really hope it gets the word across to people. i just cant beleive people do this. now i have o write a report about it. i plan on making it as detailed as posible & sharing it with people who influence the racing world.

Another disgusting display of humans abusing animals. One of thousands which take place daily across the globe. Name an animal, any animal, and it’s abused, exploited and used for profit by humans. No species escapes human wrath. Says just about everything about us doesn’t it? No morality, no ethics, no care, no concern and nothing is out of bounds when it comes to our collective abuse of animals. While it’s nice to comment here and to support PETA and other animal welfare groups, we can only effect positive change by lobbying CONGRESS, hard and often. In addition we must do all we can, at our local levels, to improve animal welfare laws and their enforcement. Only by TAKING A PRO-ACTIVE STAND, can we hope to create a humane world for ALL animals! Reactionary emotional response is well and good, but it does nothing for the animals. Ellie

I cannot believe how much suffering an animal has to endure just to please greedy, selfish people. When is animal cruelty finally going to be looked at for what it really is “inhumane”. This president better start paying attention, laws need to changed!

Right there is also an issue not mentioned here. All horses in the entire world are trained to jump out of the starter boxes with a shock stick so that they get out of there as fast as possible. During a race they don’t need to physically beat a horse, they just pass the whip past their eyes and they are terrified. This is not a sport!!! Why the hell the humans who enjoy this don’t bet on each other and treat each other in just the same inhumane way I do not know! Hate all “sport” including all animals and birds!

Sickening, heartbreaking, unfortunately horse racing or dog racing will never stop because too many wealthy people in the racing industry, who are greedy sickos, will NEVER STOP it! WTF, this is so sad.

I believe if PETA could show these commercials live on the air, that congress would have to stop this. They show people that are poor, why not the truth about how animals get treated in general. The sad truth about how animals get abused. We need to stand to gather and protest this situation.

I would like to see laws passed to prevent this from happening: 1) That horses are raced too young. and 2) they are routinely euthanized without having a chance to recover. Can’t there be a horse refuge center?

didnt watch the video but I know in my heart. Humans are the wirst species ever created and the most dangerous and as time goes its going to get worse. Im thankful for the human animals ones that still have heart and speak out for these loving creatures. We are no better just because we think we are.

Heart breaking & soul destroying. I have the most beautiful horse living with us who was rescued 2yrs ago from a racing sud. He was not long for this world & in appalling health at 10 months of age after being discarded & left to his own devices due to his mum (a brood mare) dying of colic. Now 2 years on he is magnificent & is just about to take up his new life with a herd of much loved horses nearby. To tweek a Phrase “Good things happen when good people don’t stand by & do nothing” I am sure his mum is shining down on him from out there somewhere.

I don’t have to watch this video to feel the pain of the horse who meant nothing but an object to the spectators and everyone else.. Its so sad how people find pleasure in the pain of others till its caused to themselves and their families.

it’s discusting what people? can do with defenceless animals, the same cruelty for them i should think. And punishing them very bad and very long so that they cann’t do it ever again. the video was shocking to see for that poor horse. Shame on them!!!!!!

OMG…………this made me sick to my stomachand mad as hell especially because we know that the racing community knows why and how this happens but NOTHING IS DONE TO STOP RACING THESE YOUNG HORSES. AND WHY IS THAT?? Why aren’t laws passed to stop this horrific and utterly appalling and disgusting breaks? Let’s get a law passed asap to stop the horror now.

I can’t believe what I just saw, I am literally nauseous now. I don’t know exactly why that happened, but it has left me in tears. I hope that an investigation happens, but I won’t hold my breath. Give me a petition to sign or something to help make sure this doesn t happen to another horse. They have feelings too.

I’VE RAISED , SHOWED HORSES FOR MANY YEARS, WE WOULD NEVER THINK ABOUT ‘STARTING’ A HORSE BEFORE WE HAD A X-RAY DONE TO MAKE SURE HIS OR HERS KNEES WERE ”TOGETHER”, ANYONE WHO ‘KNOWS HORSE, KNOWS A COLT OR FILLY SHOULDN’T BE RIDEN BEFORE 2 YEARS OLD, DEPENDING ON, THE WEIGHT ECT. WE ALWAYS ‘IMPRINT’ FILLY OR COLT, THEN WORK WITH THEM AS THE GROW UP, PUTTING A LITTLE WEIGHT , SADDLE, BRIDLE, JUST TO GET THEM USE TO IT. THERE’S SO MANY THINGS YOU CAN DO TO A HORSE, BEFORE ‘THEIR’ TIME, SOME CAN OUT GROW THE DAMAGE SOME CAN’T, WHY TAKE THE CHANCE, THEY SHOULD, ”BANNED” 2 YEAR OLD RACING, ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY, A ”TRUE” HORSE LOVE WOULD NEVER, RACE ANY HORSE BEFORE THEY WERE THREE, I SHOWED QUARTER HORSES, THEY ONLY HAVE TO RACE A QUARTER OF A MILE, NOT SO HARD ON THEIR JOINTS, I PERSONALLY, HATE HORSE RACING. TO REALLY LOVE & ENJOY A HORSE, YOU ‘LET’ THEM BE A HORSE FIRST, LET THEM ‘GROW’, LET THEM ENJOY BEING A HORSE, THEN YOU CAN ENJOY THEM WHEN ITS TIME TO RIDE. DEBBIE RANDOLPH

I would gladly sign any petition that would make these horse races illegal. People have a choice to be involved in this kind of thing, horses do not. This sport makes me sick to my stomach and i would like to see the jockeys have to run on broken legs!!!!!

I would gladly sign any petition that would make these horse races illegal. People have a choice to be involved in this kind of thing, horses do not. This sport makes me sick to my stomach and i would like to see the jockeys have to run on broken legs!!!!!

This is sick and just uncalled for. Horses should be strapped to the riders back or owners and they should run with the horse on their back till they break every bone in their body. Its sad these horses are treated in such a manner for money. May God have mercy on these idiots, as for me, I hope they burn in hell. God bless all horses and all animals subjected to torture for money.

This poor horse! The cruelty these animals are faced with is obscene! What is wrong with people that are able to practice these abuses? I always wish the people responsible should suffer the same pain they are causing helpless animals to endure!

What right do we have to cause so much suffering in the name of sport? Human beings have the choice, the capability of knowing the difference between right and wrong etc. So why does this continue to happen? I am totally ashamed to be part of the human race.

Jeanette, the lawmakers won’t stop these horrific crimes because they are sociopaths who don’t care. They are ‘pretend’ adults, living among us, pretending to be normal, pretending to care when somebody’s parent dies, pretending to have sympathy, but it’s all a pretence, and not a convincing one either. You can tell the true heart of a man from the way he treats animals. The war against animals has been going on since mankind first walked the earth. It is a battle between animals and good people, against evil people. Maybe one day the good people will outnumber the evil, but don’t delude yourself that the bad are a minority. 99% of the world’s population are not vegan, which means that 99% of the world’s population couldn’t care less the agony and suffering that animals go through, in their name, and because they PAY for it to happen.

Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.